A Reaper Made (17 page)

“And Alistair seems to think he’s found a way to escape,” Tully said, his tone black with anger. “How much destiny will he change if Reapers can now die and ascend?”
 

“Well, we probably don’t need to spread that around,” I said, my hands coming up in protest, “the last thing we need is supes thinking we can control souls; they’ll blackmail us if they get their hands on that scythe.”
 

Tully’s face darkened. “Agreed.”
 

“I understand now more than ever: we should never be allowed to interact with destiny. That’s not fair to souls that need to move on. We have to keep the balance, the natural order of things.”
 

“Natural Order,” Tully murmured. When he remained quiet, I prodded him.
 

“You’ve been a Reaper for a long time,” I said. “I’m new to this life, but I’m not stupid. Playing that super serious role you take on doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten what it means to be human; it means you refuse to remember.”
 

My mentor’s mouth dropped a bit, his eyes flicking to either side as he wondered how to respond. I’d never been so blatantly honest with him.
 

“I get that after so many years of humanity, things probably look a little bleak,” I continued, my gaze unwavering. “But look at Alistair; he’s an Original and knows anger, hatred. Angel or not, that’s a human trait.”
 

“That’s an evil trait,” Tully mumbled.
 

“Sure, but if Reapers weren’t supposed to care, then even the elders could avoid emotion. Alistair might know anger, but the others know empathy, or we wouldn’t be here. If they didn’t care, they would’ve let souls wander the earth and found their own way back to paradise. Maybe we’re supposed to feel something, no matter what we are or how old we become,” I said with a small shrug.
 

Tully met my eyes, a tiny smile playing on his lips under the facial hair. “You are smarter than I give you credit for.”
 

I grinned. “Yeah, that’s true. But that’s okay; obviously I have a great mentor who’s helped me get to this point over the last few years. One that is certainly the opposite of his own maker.”
 

We exchanged a meaningful glance and I could almost feel his resolve tighten. Tully wasn’t one to simply sit back and let the world crumble around him. He lifted his hand to touch my shoulder and paused as though he thought better of it. He instead chose to nod at me, his arm back to his side.
 

“If we must take a stand, then we will choose to save those souls,” he said.
 

“And if we have to use that fancy little scythe thing on Alistair?”
 

The dark look on his face didn’t change. “So be it.”
 

A knock sounded at the door and Tessa went to answer it. She walked back into the living room, talking to someone else as she asked, “You’ve only been gone an hour. Already find out what that prophecy’s about?”
 

“I did you one better,” Rhys replied. His tall form strode in after her, with a rakish grin and not a hair out of place. “I brought the Oracle to you.”
 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

My jaw dropped as Tully, Tessa, and I exchanged glances. They looked as anxious as I felt; what information would the Oracle provide us? An even darker thought crossed my mind: what if he said we were going to lose to Alistair and his demon?
 

Tessa regained her composure first, raising her arm to usher them in. “He’s welcome here.”
 

We held our breath in the split second before the Oracle stepped in; even Tully looked worried and that was enough to frighten me. A shadow crossed the doorstep before its owner came forward, dark wood creaking beneath his feet. I braced myself as he stepped in the doorway, my breath coming out in a whoosh at his appearance.
 

The mighty Oracle, an all-powerful, omniscient, magical being capable of foreseeing the future, wore socks with sandals, stained khaki shorts, and a bright yellow Bermuda shirt that did nothing for his complexion.
 

“Guys, this is Phineas,” Rhys said.
 

My nose wrinkled in disappointment and I could almost feel Tessa deflate next to me. This dude looked like something out of a 1980’s beach movie that probably had something to do with retirement. Wrinkled olive skin and unkempt gray hair and beard completed his unimpressive ensemble.
 

“Look, I only got ten minutes, I got a race to win,” Phineas said. His Jersey accent made me wonder how that had happened when he was probably thousands of years old.
 

“How…?” I trailed off, not wanting to offend him.
 

He noticed my questioning look and shrugged. “Jersey’s loud, crowded, and hot as hell in the summer. Just like ancient times in Greece, I love it.”
 

I hid a smile behind my hand as Rhys hurried to shut the door after him. The shapeshifter spun on his heel, a cocky grin on his face. “Okay, so I did my part and brought the guy. You’re driving this bus now.”
 

Phineas kept his gaze on me and I noticed his eyes, a piercing silver gray that seemed to pin me in place. As he spoke, the bright marbles didn’t leave me. “What do you want to know?”
 

“The prophecy that Alistair heard,” Tully said before I could open my mouth. Phineas turned slowly to face him. “My mentor - I mean, the Original Reaper said he knew of a prophecy that spoke of souls and ascension.”
 

The Oracle raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. “Souls and ascension? You know that relates to a few dozen or so, right? You’ll have to be more specific.”
 

Tully’s face fell. I jumped in to explain.
 

“That same Reaper is trying to ascend.” The Oracle’s brows furrowed and I pushed forward. “A demon is involved and it’s turning into a big mess. We’re talking souls’ destinies here. Please, can you help us?”
 

I stepped forward and touched his arm. The moment my hand made contact with him, the air around us crackled. Phineas stiffened to his full height. His eyes rolled back, irises disappearing to a solid silver sheen; it was so creepy I immediately withdrew my arm. Phineas didn’t flinch as he spoke, his tone sounding far away.
 

“A Reaper Made by Death will guide the souls to ascension when they complete their Fate. With the help of an angel, the trapped souls will rise to their destinies. The Chosen One may then decide to rise with them or continue on earth in service of Death.”
 

A second later, Phineas’s silver eyes came back forward, making him normal again. He shook his head as though to wake up and clear his mind. His eyes didn’t leave my face and suddenly, it felt like all eyes in the room stared at me.
 

“Um, what?” I asked.
 

Phineas shrugged, but his expression was thoughtful as he remembered the words. “Sounds like you’re getting another chance to ascend.”
 

My jaw dropped. “I’m sorry?”
 

“You touched him and the prophecy revealed itself through an Oracle,” Tessa said. She turned to me in awe, her eyes as big as dinner plates. “‘A Reaper Made by Death.’ He means a Reaper like you.”
 

“Alistair is a ‘Reaper Made by Death,’” I reminded them. “You said it yourself, Tully.”
 

“Yes, this could apply to him,” Tully said, his brows scrunched up in thought. “He is an Original, an angel turned Reaper by Death. The prophecy still applies.”
 

“But the prophecy came at Grace’s touch,” Tessa argued.
 

Tully didn’t look convinced; I could barely comprehend the conversation. Rhys leaned against the doorway with his arms folded across his muscular chest, quiet but listening.
 

“What about him? He’s a way better Reaper than me!” The protest came out more like a squeak. I gestured to Tully, my motion too frantic for a Reaper. He spared me a pointed look and I struggled to get the hand motions under control.
 

“Tessa is correct,” Phineas said. “I know things about people, events; touch is an especially powerful aid to gather those thoughts. Your touch brought forth the prophecy. You are key to the problem at hand.”
 

I shook my head. “That can’t possibly be it.”
 

“This is why you were a fluke,” Tully said, his sudden realization looking like a surprise. “If the prophecy does indeed apply to you-”

“Hello, the Oracle has spoken,” Phineas mumbled, but Tully paid him no mind and continued.
 

“You were meant to become a Reaper and help save these souls. Death chose you the night you died, knew you could help prevent Alistair’s ascension.”
 

“There has to be more to it,” I said, more to myself than anyone else in the room. “Maybe there’s room for interpretation.”
 

Phineas scowled. “It’s a prophecy, not a fortune cookie.”
 

“The ‘Chosen One’ is never a light term,” Rhys said, his face thoughtful. The room went quiet at that while my brain raced with thoughts.
 

“Alistair thinks he’s the Chosen One since Death held hands with him or whatever. ‘
With the help of an angel
,’” I repeated, musing over the words. “He probably thinks that applies to him, too.”
 

“Looks like I wasn’t too far off in asking for help from the winged side,” Tessa said. She shot a pointed look at Tully, whose lips pursed in annoyance.
 

“And where do you think you’ll find one of those?” Rhys asked, his eyebrow lifting in question. “They don’t exactly make their hideaways known.”
 

“We’ll have to do some research,” Tessa said with a shrug. “In the meantime, let’s think about Alistair’s point of view.”
 

I nodded. “So what, by taking Reapers and confusing souls, Alistair can make it look like he’s saving them from demons?”
 

“Alistair surely has power beyond our expectations,” Tully said. “His magic is older and more powerful than all of us combined.”
 

“Not helping,” I said to him before turning back to the group. “If he helps those souls pass over, that’s his door to ascension.”
 

“He needs two more Reapers for his magical number seven,” Tessa reminded us. “He’ll need time to find them or come after you again.”
 

Tully’s arm twitched, his fingers curling ever so slightly to form a fist. “We can’t exactly stop him. The souls he has need to ascend and soon, before they become lost spirits. We are on limited time.”
 

“So how do we win? Especially with that ugly-ass Moloch guarding the souls?” I asked aloud, not expecting any answers.
 

 
Phineas huffed and rolled his eyes. “Prophecies are like riddles. So guess what? Solve the riddle, save the souls. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got a thousand bucks to win at the track tonight.”
 

Tessa bristled at the nonchalant attitude. “How exactly could you lose if you can see the future?”
 

“Oh, I don’t use my gift for gambling,” Phineas replied. “That would be cheating.”
 

Rhys snorted. Without waiting for our reply, Phineas turned and left the room. The front door shut behind him with a thud. I felt Tessa staring at me, but the only person I could focus on was Tully. The worried look wouldn’t drop from his face.
 

Rhys stuck his hands in his front pockets, whistling. “This looks like it might get serious. I’ll come to collect my debt later. Say Friday, nine o’clock?”
 

Tessa could barely protest before he slipped out the door. I put up a hand to stop her angry mode.
 

“Tully, we have to stop Alistair,” I said to my maker.
 

His frown was prominent even under the thick red beard. “We have to
destroy
Alistair.”
 

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

We spent the rest of the night sitting around Tessa’s apartment discussing our options. I could hardly wrap my head around the so-called prophecy of ascension. I mean, why would
I
of all people in the universe be chosen to save fate? I could barely keep my wits about me on a good day.
 

“Seriously, how the hell do we stop Alistair? The souls can’t be released without their Reapers waking to help them and that’s some serious voodoo,” I said.
 

Tessa waved her hand at me. “Hello? That’s my area of expertise. Now draw me that symbol on Brady’s hand so I can start the research.”
 

I took the pencil and paper she offered, quickly sketching out the swirls and dots from memory. When I finished, Tessa and Tully stood behind me, frowns on their faces.
 

“You are sure this is not the inked sign on the skin of the witch and his fraternity friend?” Tully asked.
 

I wished I could smile at his awkward terminology, but frustrated, I simply shook my head. “BAD’s symbol is useless, a bunch of Greek letters thrown together to make an image. I’m almost sure it’s not magical in any way.”
 

“I’ve seen this symbol before,” Tessa said with a shake of her head. “Where have I seen that?”
 

I glanced over my shoulder at Tully. “Ring any bells on your end?”
 

 
A slow shake of his head made me sigh in frustration. I slumped back in my chair, glared at the useless piece of paper and the stupid sketch. Tessa beelined for her makeshift library, quickly flipping through a few pages of each spell book.
 

I raised a finger. “Oh and can I just ask, what kind of hell did Moloch climb out of?”
 

Tessa shuddered. “I could’ve lived without ever seeing one of those guys.”